Bearing one of three non-presidential subjects and the only woman portrayed on the 1938 Presidential Series, the 1.5-cent yellow brown Martha Washington stamp saw extensive use from its debut in 1938 through the late 1950s. The likeness of Martha Washington comes from a bust on display in the Memorial Continental Hall Museum.

The 1.5-cent stamp can be found in two forms: as a sheet stamp (issued May 5, 1938) and as a horizontal (sidewise) coil (issued January 20, 1939). The most common usage of this stamp was to pay the third class 'greeting card' rate in effect April 1925 through December 1948.